Chapter 76 (1/2)

”A civil aircraft?” Rolin doubtfully asked. ”There are no civil aircraft routes nearby. Anyway, why wouldn't I be able to shoot a civil aircraft down?”

”Routes?” Huang Xuan chuckled and continued, ”With his skill, it probably wouldn't be difficult to steal an airplane. As for why you won't be able to shoot a civil aircraft down…” He recalled the first time Rolin threw him out of the plane. Rolin later sent him back because he was worried about the safety of the base. ”Because shooting a civil aircraft down would put the base in danger. Many people would search the surrounding area. Given your sequence of priorities, you wouldn't be able to shoot a civil aircraft down.”

Huang Xuan gloated, ”Rolin, look, if the traveler can locate the advancing base, he likely has a way to either control it or open a pa.s.sage nearby. Think about it; the traveler had no idea he would end up in P112. Upon entering P112, he lost connection with his own base. That's why he had to depend on his own memory to search for the advancing base in this area. Typically, the location of the s.p.a.ce base wouldn't change. After such a long time, the base wouldn't have sufficient energy remaining either. This must be the reason he wants to kill me. Logically, a base guardian with abundant energy could never lose to a lost traveler, right?”

Huang Xuan paused to take in a breath. Wagging his finger, he continued, ”When he finally realizes that it's impossible to kill me, he will try to exert his authority in one way or another to take over control of the base. This would explain why this traveler would rush to Nanjing from Brazil. Firstly, this traveler wants to go home. Secondly, he might have a way to control the base. Lastly, he needs to be close to the base and energy to control it. There's no other explanation for him rus.h.i.+ng to Nanjing. Let's a.s.sume that what you said is true - attempting to take control of the base would result in death. Then, even if we didn't want to capture him, he wouldn't succeed. If that's the case, he would be happy to see us leave Brazil, so that he can continue to have his way. I'm sure spatial and temporal oscillations are not affected by the country they are created in.”

Rolin listened quietly. Huang Xuan continued along his train of thought, ”The base guardians likely follow similar rules. If he obtains a civil aircraft and successfully flies over our roof, you would not dare to take him down. You wouldn't even know that he'd be controlling you from the sky.”

”You think he would steal a civil aircraft to do that?”

Huang Xuan nodded, ”That's right. If I were him, I'd definitely do that.”

”But everything you just said is dependent on a.s.sumptions. If the a.s.sumptions are wrong, nothing like that would ever happen.”

”It's easy to prove,” Huang Xuan shrugged.

Rolin calmly replied, ”There are very few methods with which one could so easily control a base. Moreover, there's a hefty price to pay. Normally, these methods will only work for a short while.”

”It's enough that there's a possibility.” Huang Xuan was thankful that Rolin was supporting his theory. Proudly, he said, ”Rolin, you have to check on these things immediately. First, check the flights that are departing from the airports within a 500 km radius of Nanjing. The police might not be able to stop him, but he isn't Superman. He won't be able to get too far in 24 hours. If he doesn't want you to detect him, he would have to act fast.”

Rolin agreed with Huang Xuan's judgment. He continued, ”Second, check if there will be any important people flying within these few days. The more influential the person is, the larger the impact will be if the plane is shot down. More people would look for him, which would mean more danger for us. Third, observe all the flights. Keep a lookout for any flight that deviates from its route.”

”Alright.” Suddenly, Rolin said, ”But there's another problem. If you're right, then the traveler would not need to create spatial and temporal oscillations. In that case, there's no explanation for w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yin's and Nicholas's deaths.”

”Maybe they were meant to distract us.” Huang Xuan shook his head and said, ”Maybe they were his attempts at returning home. Perhaps he wanted to save on using those expensive methods you were talking about. He could also have meant to distract the police. If everyone is looking for the murderer, n.o.body will notice him stealing an aircraft.”

”That's probable,” Rolin was approving of Huang Xuan's suggestions. ”From what we know of this traveler, he would likely be able to clear the airport security.”

Huang Xuan pursed his lips and said nothing. At that point, the solution to their problems was simple. If they spotted an aircraft that was deviating from its route and heading toward the base, they would immediately shoot it down. The strongest time travelers were still human after all. They would surely die if they fell from such a height. Since the base was still in Brazil, its safety wasn't even an issue.

There would inevitably be collateral damage. Innocent lives would be lost. However, Huang Xuan spent so much time and effort on chasing this strong traveler, who was probably out of supplies, for one reason only. He harbored hope that, unbeknownst to Rolin, the traveler had medicine that could treat his grandfather.